


hang the blessed DJ

by idlewheel



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, hang the dj au, you ever take so long to write something that you're just like ugh by the end? me rn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:25:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idlewheel/pseuds/idlewheel
Summary: "What if I don't want that perfect match?"Coach is silent and if handheld robots could look confused, he would. Finally, he speaks. “Not possible. The algorithms detect your perfect match. There is a 99.8-""Yeah, yeah. I know. Stupid robot." he mutters.Or, the Hang the DJ AU that nobody asked for





	hang the blessed DJ

**Author's Note:**

> you don't have to watch the episode to understand but I still recommend it. xx but mostly because i love black mirror.

 

“Is this the right place?” Jake asks Coach, glancing up at the light up sign outside the bar. _Shaw’s Bar_ , it reads. Coach’s surface lights up, his circled figure alighting Jake’s hand as he holds him. Jake was still getting used to talking to Coach without feeling like he was speaking to himself.

The truth was that Coach was designed to help during the process. That is, the process of going through string of matches that were put together by the System. These matches then went into an algorithm that would then determine and lead them to their perfect match.

It had a 99.8% success rate, at least that’s what had Jake heard.

But, this was his first match. He was virgin-matchèe _ _.__ Jake wasn’t sure what to expect and Coach wasn’t exactly helpful for a robot designed to _help_ during the process.

As a matter of fact, Coach’s monotone voice goes silent every time Jake tries to ask any other questions. And he had a lot.

“Yes.” Coach finally answers, breaking Jake away from his long tangent.

Jake breathes in deeply, trying to calm his stomach twisting with nervousness and his aching dread-filled body. He starts to open the bar door but stops.

“Can you at least give me a little idea of what she looks like? I just wanna know what I’m walking into.” Jake pauses, rolls his eyes. He lets out a sarcastic scoff. “Does it actually matter, though? Isn’t the first one always a dud?” Coach is silent. “I mean, why would you set me up with someone really cool the first time, right?”

“You will know who she is.” Coach says in its monotone voice. It doesn’t answer his question about her being a dud. Which means she is.

Jake grumbles under his breath about ‘dumb robots not really being all that helpful’ as he walks into the bar. The bar is dimly lit, giving it a romantic mood. There’s more people than Jake’s expected and they sit in booths around the bar. One couple sits close together, holding their Coaches in their hands. Their smiling face convey their happiness and at their simultaneous nods, the tap on Coach. Their happiness slowly melts off their faces and they share an awkward smile as Coach displays just how much time they’ve been assigned to be together.

He wonders just how long that couple has together; probably very little considering their downcast looks. This is the way it worked: you’re assigned a match, you stay together during the allotted time and then, when it’s over, you move on to another one. Rinse and repeat until your perfect match is found.

Something lights up inside Jake. Maybe he won’t have more than a few hours to share with this new girl. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll be over soon and he can move on to non-duds. And then, to his perfect match.

A beautiful blonde girl sits atop the bar top, looking nervously around. Her eyes dart from the entrance to her Coach beside her purse. Her match is late.

Jake stops in his tracks; she’s pretty, gorgeous really.

“Please tell me that’s her.” he asks Coach. He’s ignored, and Jake rolls his eyes. Of course, this girl is way too pretty to be his first match. The girl he’s waiting for __must__ be a dud. If these algorithms are set to determine his perfect match, they’re not going to give her a perfect being as his first match. First, they must weed out all the people that Jake doesn’t like. Then, towards the end, Jake figures he gets better matches. All he can do is wait and trudge through the bad ones.

“Sit here.” Coach says, its small screen projecting a circle booth in the far corner of the room, close to the bathrooms and right by the service entrance. Perfect, a dud table for a dud date.

Jake sits down on the booth and lets out a deep breath. Okay, dud or not, he’s still nervous. Really, really nervous. But, he bottles that in and tries to shove it as far as he can.

 _ _You can do this, Jake__.

So, he sits in that booth and awaits his lover-to-be.

* * *

“Do you really think he’d like this dress?” Amy asks Coach again, pulling it down below her knees for the sixth time. It’s a little too tight and rises mid-thigh every time she walks more than three steps. The vivid red color isn’t her favorite either, as it all but screamed at the top of its lungs “Here I am! Look at me!” In her assigned quarters, Amy struggled to find another dress but Coach told her not to. Every single aspect of tonight was already chosen for them. Down to her outfit to what style of underwear she had to wear.

“Yes.”

All choices were determined by whatever would be __pleasing__ , physical or psychological, for the opposite matchèe. All this dress said about her first match was that he was a pervert who liked short red dresses.

Okay, Amy couldn’t hate on him. Not only did she not know him yet but okay, this dress did make her skin look flushed and fresh. But, if he did turn out to be nothing but a pervert, she hoped their expiry date was short and prayed the next one would be better.

Amy investigates the crowded bar, not spotting him. All she sees are couples in booths, either sitting too close or ignoring one another in clear disinterest.

“Are you sure he’s here?”

“Yes.” Monosyllables, perfect. Amy rolls her eyes.

“What does he look like?” Coach displays a slight video of a bored looking guy, fingers tapping on the table. Amy’s stomach tumbles, he looks miserable. Maybe she still has enough time to go home. Maybe, there’s a reset button on Coach, because there’s no way she’s been paired with someone who looks like they’d rather take a dive into a pile of needles than be here.

“Go.” Coach orders, as if reading her scattering mind. Amy takes a deep breath and aims to find him.

She sees him before he sees her, and she thinks __Screw it, I’m leaving__ , but the clack of her heel makes his eyes abandon their place on the table. Suddenly, he doesn’t look bored but startled. Maybe even fascinated, enchanted.

He tries to stand, as if he’s sitting in a chair but forgets it’s a booth and hits his upper thighs on the table. He drops his Coach to the floor where it lands a few feet away as eh stumbles out of the booth.

“Sorry. I’m-“he sighs and just stands there, staring at her. Amy shuffles her feet in nervousness, feeling the summer breeze on her upper thighs. She barely notices it, she’s taken aback by this strange man and his ability to go from nearly in a coma to flustered. His neck flushes red with embarrassment. She glances at his forgotten Coach on the floor and he notices, grabs it, says “Coach.”

“Your name is also Coach?” Amy mutters, her hands sweaty, threatening to drop her own Coach. She’s too distracted by him.

“I mean, my name’s Jake… or Jacob. Really, I don’t mind.” He laughs a nervous laugh, almost a loud cough. The laugher fades and a smile remains. “You can call me whatever you want.” Amy raises her eyebrows and he closes his eyes, sighing. “I mean, I’m Jake.” His face resembles a ripe tomato and his hands flutter around him as he speaks, looking like nervous butterflies.

“I’m Amy.” She replies, glad the awkwardness was broken by him. Granted, his method of breaking said awkwardness was by bringing even more to the mix. But, it’s worked, it’s melted the nervous ice in her stomach. As a matter of fact, she’s smiling, her lips pulled tight in a pleased smile.

She likes him, he’s funny and now that she sees now that she sees him face to face, he’s attractive. “You can also call me whatever you want.”

He grins and points to the booth. “Want to sit?”

“Mhmm.” He goes around her, as if to pull her chair but it’s a booth and instead he awkwardly pats her on the back. He clears his throat as he drops in front of her, settling Coach on the side. Amy sets hers beside his.

“So, Jolene-“she shoots him a confused look and he grins. “You said I could call you whatever I wanted.”

“You’re right, Tom.” Amy smirks and Jake bites back a smile. She narrows her eyes in faux-observation. “Actually…you look more like a Ralf. ‘Tom’ is too, I don’t know, formal.” 

“Are you saying I’m not fancy?” he mocks offense, eyes swimming with mirth. Her chest feels light and giddy. “I had coffee flavored ice cream before I came here. I’m plenty fancy.”

“No, wait…you look more like a ‘Johnny’.” she says.

“Okay, I like that.” he pauses, eyes narrowing as he looks her up and down, determining a name for her. “Dora.” he finishes, folding his hands on the table and leaning forward.

“I like it.” she says. “I mean, Amy is not exactly refined.” she leans in, as if telling him a big secret. Her heart thumps happily in her chest and Jake’s eyes sparkle. She’s so close she can see the fleck of gold in his eyes. They look infiniteness, vast.

“Yeah.” he replies. “It’s not as fancy, you know?”

“The plight of all Amy’s.” she fake sighs and Jake’s grin exemplifies. She clears her throat and looks down towards the empty table, save for their Coaches. “Shall we order?”

“Orders have already been chosen.” Coach adds as servers drop their meals on the table.

“Well, bon appetite.”

Amy raises her fork, ready to eat while Jake hesitates.

Amy sets her fork down. “Are you okay?

“I just..I want to check the expiry date.” Jake says, wincing as he speaks. Amy nods, not believing she hadn't thought of it and grabs her Coach. Jake does the same.

“Yeah, of course. Of course.” She laughs awkwardly. “This is the first match I’ve been sent on.”

“Me, too.” His eyes brighten.

“I’m not used to…” she trails of, pointing towards Coach and Jake grins.

“Shall we do it then?”

She nods, their fingers flying slightly above the expiry date button. There’s a brief pause where they stare at one another in a __shall we do this__ wait but Jake clears his throat and presses his button.

Amy takes in a deep breath and does the same. Her body almost deflates with disappointment at the “12 Hours” display. Just twelve hours. A mere half-day.

Jake’s eyes betray his same emotions. He clears his throat, setting his Coach to the very left.

“12 hours.” He laughs awkwardly and Amy smiles tightly, looking down at her Coach as the seconds and minutes begin counting down. She settles it to the side before the 9 turns into an 8 and tries to smile.

“Guess we better eat quick.”

Jake smiles at her but when he grabs his fork, his smile drops. Amy twirls her pasta and tries to ignore the drumming of her heart that tells her that the 12 is soon to turn into a 0. And then KABOOM. It’s over and just when she’s started to like it.

“Shall we do a bet?” Jake says, interrupting her thoughts. Amy’s back straightens in interest.

“What kind of bet?”

“I…” he trails of, obviously not thinking it through. “I bet you that I could eat my chicken faster than you can eat your pasta.” Amy’s eyes brighten. She loves bets, especially bets that are about taking advantage of how much time they really have to spend together.

 

“You’re on.”

* * *

The night crackles as Amy and Jake walk into their assigned quarters. It seems rather silly to have been assigned quarters when the time they were going to spend at said quarters was rather short. It almost felt like a slap in the face, a cruel reminder that in less than eleven hours (with two minutes) they were going to be separated. Probably to never see one another ever again.

“It’s pretty.” She comments as she looks around the room. An off fireplace sits in the far-right wall and there’s a big couch in front of it. Lots of throw pillows in assorted colors decorate the room.

She walks out of the living room and towards the other room, separated only by a door.

Jake watches her from the door, eyes drinking every one of the moments like a thirsty man running into a river. He sighs after a moment of silence and makes his way over to her.

“It really is pretty.”

She opens the door to their sleeping quarters and her stomach tumbles. Amy glances over her shoulder at him, surprised by his proximity. “One bed.”

Jake swallows thickly and repeats what she’s just said, “One bed.” Their eyes remain trained on one another for a beat too long.

Amy can feel the heat of the desert. Could he?

She clears her throat, tearing her gaze away. “I’m going to go the restroom.” Her voice shakes with nervousness.

Jake nods and clears his throat as well. “And I’m going to go and, um, wait for you in the other room. I think I saw a fireplace, might turn that on.”

Amy nods and doesn’t add that it’s the middle of July and the sweltering heat of the fire is going to turn this house into a living hell. She waits until he’s out of the room and nearly runs to the restroom, locking the door behind her. She rummages through her dress pockets for Coach.

“Coach.” she calls when she has him in her hands. “What are we supposed to do now? Like are we, you know, supposed to get on with it?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Jesus.” Amy mutters almost angrily, her cheeks tinting with red. “You __know__ , am I supposed to sleep with him?”

“Sleeping is a bodily function-”

“Not that kind of sleeping.” Amy sighs, closing her eyes. “The kind of sleeping that needs, you know, body parts and stuff.”

“All types of sleeping require body parts.” Coach says and Amy groans.

* * *

"Thanks for the warning, man." Jake mutters in the other room. The fireplace rages beside him and Jake sheds his jacket, rolling up shirt sleeves as he whispers to Coach, who sits in the sofa. “She's not a dud. Not a freaking dud but, here you are, just barely giving us twelve freaking hours. Not cool, at _all_.”

“The algorithms-"

"I don't care. She's pretty and funny and I’m pretty sure her hair smells like coconut and that dress? It's not fair, man.” Jake sighs, throwing himself onto the sofa and covering his face with his hands. “Just twelve hours.”

Coach’s light blinks and then he says, “Ten hours with fifty-five minutes now.”

Jake sighs, dropping his hands from his face and stares at the ceiling. “Shut it.”

* * *

She finds Jake sitting in the sofa staring at the ceiling. Her now bare feet pad their way to him.

“Hi.” She says and Jake nearly falls off the sofa.

“Hi.” He stands tucks his hands into his jean pockets and stares at her.

“So…um, should we go to bed or-“

He clears his throat. “I figured I’d just sleep here.”

Amy shakes her head. “The bed is big enough; I’m sure you’ll fit.”

Jake stares at her for a few seconds and then, he clears his throat. “Yeah, sounds good.”

* * *

He’s like probably a foot away from her but, it’s like the right side of her is buzzing.

She’s never been this aware of just how many bones, skin, cells. Of just how much matter she’s really made of. The proximity of his body makes all the cells in her body buzz, makes them scream. It’s like they know just how close he is and they ache for him. Or maybe it’s just the heat from the fire in the living room that’s making her delirious but she’s sure that’s not it.

“Are we supposed to have sex?” she asks suddenly. Jake lets out an awkward laugh, almost scared but definitely terrified.

"I don't-I don't. I mean, do you want-?" he stutters awkwardly.

"That was a joke." she says, looking over at him from the corner of her eyes. His Adam's apple bobs and he nods, tucking his chin in.

"Right."

"To lighten the mood." she finishes and looks back at the ceiling but _skin, cells, water_ \--they all buzz and stretch towards him.

His hand in the middle of their laying bodies catches her attention and she inches hers closer and closer until it's right _there_. Until her buzzing skin, her cells, her bones full of matter and wonder-until at once- and finally, they're touching.

It's like a bird taking flight, something so natural that Amy closes her eyes against the feel of his hand tightening around hers.

She feels the press of his lips against her cheek almost suddenly and she turns her face over so his lips meet hers. It’s a symphony inside her body, turning everything into jelly. It’s fast and light. Just one and two and then gone. When she opens her eyes, he’s looking down at with crystalline, delicate emotion and she rolls over slightly closer to him, letting their intertwined hands stay between them.

* * *

“So, this was fun.” she says the next morning as Jake and her stand outside their quarters. Two assigned cars await their boarding. Two separate cars, of course, because this was the end.

In her hand, Coach continues tracking down the time. There’s forty seconds left and Amy can feel Time waiting for her, it’s thin bedraggled hand on her shoulder.

“Thanks for being my first.” She says and Jake grins widely.

“Thanks for being _my_ first.” Jake tucks his hands into his pockets, his jacket hanging over his shoulder. “It was fun. I’d say we should do it again but this probably the last time we’ll see one another.”

Amy’s smile slowly fades. “Yep.”

“Ten seconds.” Coach beeps from her hand. Amy sighs and holds her hand out. Jake takes it, keeping it tightly grasped in his. It’s almost desperate and Amy’s own fingers cling to his.

“It was great meeting you.”

“It was great beating you at dinner last night.” he adds, referencing their bet and her loss.

She looks down at Coach, watching the 3 turn into a two and then into a one.

Until finally, a zero.

“Goodbye.” Her smile doesn’t reach her eyes and Jake doesn’t even smile. His Adam’s apple bobs as he nods.

Jake drops his hand and watches as Amy boards her assigned car, she glances over her shoulder as she gets on and waves once.

Jake waves back and gets into his own car. He keeps his neck turned towards her car, watching as it leads her away from him. He watches as she turns into a grey speck into the distance.

* * *

Amy continues brushing her hair in the illuminated bathroom at her assigned solo living quarters two weeks later.

“I mean, is he already assigned to somebody else?”

“As I’ve said before, I cannot tell you anything about your ex-Matches.”

Amy sighs and throws her brush into the drawer, the noise rumbles through her empty quarters. “All I’m asking is that you tell me if we’re going to see each other again. I mean, how is the result going to be correct if we only saw one another for twelve hours? You don’t learn enough about a person in just twelve hours.”

“No matter how short the encounter is, the System will take into consideration.”

Amy sighs and watches her face in the mirror. Her hair hangs limply around her face, still damp from her shower. Slight mascara residue surrounds her eyes. She starts to braid her hair back, preparing for a night’s sleep.

“Can you at least tell me if he’s asked about me?”

Coach remains quiet and then he beeps, “I cannot.”

Amy groans. As she takes off her mascara, Coach beeps again.

“What’s that sound? Did you change your mind?”

“Another relationship.” 

Amy continues taking her leftover makeup off and watches her face for a few seconds. The light from the restroom makes her look bedraggled, tired. Her brows furrow and then she sighs, pushes her shoulders back. The faster she stops thinking of him, the easier this will all be. “Okay.”

* * *

“All I’m saying is that maybe there’s a glitch in the system.” Jake says as he pats himself dry. The restroom mirror is covered with steam and Jake writes his name in it before wiping it off with his palm. He dresses in his pajamas as he speaks, “How are you certain that Amy wasn’t the one for me?”

“The system-”

“Yeah, yada, yada, yada I know that there’s a damn system but, honestly Coach, how are you _really_ certain that Amy wasn’t my perfect match? There could be a glitch, you know? Someone could always slip through the cracks.”

“Your perfect match hasn’t been selected yet.” Jake groans and begins washing his teeth. Coach beeps.

“What?” Jake asks, mouth full of toothpaste.

“Another relationship.” Jake meets his own eyes in the mirror, the dread forming in his stomach. This dread different from the one from the first time. This time, the dread is that the girl he’s going to meet _isn’t_ going to be Amy.

“That fast, huh?” he says after spitting.

“Yes.”

Jake washes his face in silence and tucks himself into bed. Coach awaits his response as he sets him at his bedside table. He stares out the window at the moon and sighs, “Okay."

* * *

“You’re late.” Is all she says before Jake sits down. Jake grimaces, remembering how he ignored Coach’s insistent reminders of his new match. He didn’t want to be here. All he wanted to do was sit at home and stew about Amy.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” He apologizes to his new match. Her scowl doesn’t leave, arms crossed tightly. Her dark curly hair makes her look almost wicked, but mostly scary. He clears his throat. “Shall we order?”

“I already ate.” she says, motioning to her empty plate and glass.

“Ah, well...” he trails off. This is a train wreck, starting with her firm glare down to his feeling of absolute discomfort. _Should’ve stayed home_ , he tells himself. “Do you want-” he motions towards Coach.

She picks up her Coach and asks, “What’s our expiry date?” Jake scrambles for his Coach and presses the button just as she does. Her scowl deepens and she rolls her eyes.

“A... year.” he says weakly and the girl throws her Coach to the side. Jake looks down at the table. “Kind of long, eh?”

“I’ve had longer.” she says and crosses her arms again.

“I’m Jake.” he adds after a moment.

“Rosa.”

Jake’s dinner is dropped onto the table by the staff and she watches him as he eats. She literally watches him in absolute silence. Jake’s pretty sure she’s not blinking.

It’s one of the most uncomfortable moment of his life but he doesn’t hurry to eat, no. It’s not like with Amy where the food was gobbled up as if they hadn't eaten in years because of lack of time. No, he takes his time because they have a year and he’s got to spend the seconds doing something.

Something tells him that it’s not going to be spent holding hands and sleeping bundled up close together.

He glances up at her and she’s still watching him with her arms crossed. Jesus Christ, an entire year.

* * *

“...and that’s one of the first time I’ve ever eaten it.” Teddy finishes. Amy laughs and takes a sip of her wine.

“I think it’s honorable. I mean, cow brain?” she laughs, taking a bite of her food.

“It was my first match and I was really nervous.”

Amy smiles tepidly, looking down at the table, remembering devouring her food with Jake.

After a second, Teddy clears his throat and wipes his mouth. “Shall we check?”

“I, um, yes.” she nods and grabs her Coach. “1,2,3.”

“Ah.” he says with a nod. “Nine months.”

“Not..bad.” Amy says and Teddy agrees.

“Yeah, could be shorter.”

Amy’s smile drops as she remembers twelve hours. She looks down at her steak. “Yeah, could’ve been.”

* * *

“No sex.” Rosa says when they arrive to their quarters. Her eyes are stoic, dark as night as she stares down at him. “If you want to do something, do it to yourself. Just keep it away from me.”

Jake flushes at what she’s insinuating. “We’re going to be together for a year.”

“And?” her face is as hard and unmoving as a brick wall.

“And I agree.” He adds meekly. “I’ll keep _it_ away from you.”

“Good.”

Rosa’s not exactly easy to live with. She hates talking and wakes up at the crack of dawn to do yoga atop their roof. She disappears most of the day doing God knows what and because of this, Jake spends most of his days alone in their house.

The worst thing is that she makes him sleep in the chair in the corner of their room as she stretches in the big bed. His neck hurts for a week straight but, by the second week, he’s found a pretty comfortable position.

She turns down his offers to hang out with him and Jake wonders what she does during the day that she’s gone. He thinks she probably has someone she’s seeing. Someone who is between matches right now; someone who probably sneaks away from their match to be with her. It’s illegal to get with someone who isn’t your Match and it’s even more illegal to get with someone who was your Ex-Match. She could be excommunicated, or worse.

Jake knew he was never going to tell on her and neither was he going to ask her about it.

But, he did spend long times wondering and fantasizing sneaking out of his quarters to meet with Amy. Most nights, he stares out the window at the wall surrounding the compound. It was illegal to cross the wall and leave the compound before finding your perfect match. You were not allowed to leave until after you Pairing Day and even then, nobody knew what happened afterwards. Nobody that ever left ever came back.

He also spent long times wondering if she thought of him as much as he thought of her.

* * *

 

He doesn’t see her until later, when all the matched are send to a mandatory Pairing Day celebration. The purpose of these celebrations was to show them that it _did_ work and that the wait was going to be worth it. Jake thought it to be boring and a waste of time. Who wants to spend a whole party watching someone be in love?

Rosa runs off as soon as they make it into the party and there he sees her. Amy. She’s on the other side of the courtyard and she’s _smiling_. She’s talking to a man who has his back to Jake but she’s, only she, is the only thing he can focus on. It’s feels like the first time he saw it. Like everything inside of him is about to burst.

The Paired today are Charles and Genevieve. He’s a short man with bright eyes and she’s a tall, slender woman. They gush about one another for fifteen minutes and then start heavily making out. After ten minutes of this, all matched watching scatter and leave them to it.

 _It really does work!_ The words echo in Jake’s mind and he mutters them under his breath. Yeah right, it freaking works. He stands by the buffet table, not really wanting to make small talk with anybody right now. He hadn’t seen Amy since that first glance and he sort of hopes he doesn’t. Not because he doesn’t want to see her but because he isn’t sure what he’d do if he does.

Jake eats most of the little hotdogs served as he stands there alone.

“Hey.” A tap on his shoulder.

Jake turns at this and comes face-to-face with Amy. She’s smiling, eyes shining and bright. He tries to say hello but the hotdog gets stuck in his throat and, much to his embarrassment, he begins to choke on it.

“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” she asks, patting his back.

“I just-” he says, trying to speak between coughs. _One second_ , he motions. He grabs one of the glasses of water from the buffet table and drinks half of it in one gulp. He coughs, finally able to talk.

“Are you okay?” Her eyebrows furrow and her hand rubs his back. Jake almost bursts into flames, mostly from embarrassment but mostly because of her hands on him six months later.

“Oh, yeah. Just fine.” he replies, his voice strained. He gulps the rest of the water quickly.

“I shouldn’t have scared you.” she says with a grimace.

“No, no. I’m really-I’m really glad to see you.” he says, dropping the glass back on the table. Amy smiles delicately, dropping her hand.

“Me, too. It’s been a while.”

“Too damn long.” he says and Amy hides her smile by sucking her lips in.

“Yep.” Under the twinkle lights around the courtyard, she looks almost looks radiant, as if she’s shining from within. “So, what’d you’ve been up to, Johnny?” she smiles widely and Jake fake-groans. In reality, he’s close to shaking because _holy crap_ , she remembered.

“Well, _Dora,_ I’ve been-”

A man setting his hand on her shoulder startles them both and Jake stares in confusion as his hand squeezes her shoulder. He’s not a very tall man, about Jake’s height with stocky shoulders and a kind smile. Amy swallows thickly and drops her eyes to the floor.

“Hey, babe.”

Amy glances over at Jake and his face drains. He knows who this is.

“Hey.” she says and this man, her Match, kisses her cheek. She peeks at Jake and offers an apology with her eyes. “This is, um, Jake. Jake, this is Teddy.” Jake nods towards him, tucking his hands into his pockets. Amy looks between them both and with almost a shy-like tone says, “Teddy and I are matched.”

“Yep. For about six months now.” Teddy adds with a grin.

“Ah, that’s...amazing.” Jake says with as much emotion as he can muster which isn’t a whole lot. Rosa chooses this awkward-as-hell moment, to decide to finally find him.

“There’s no damn alcohol.” Rosa groans as she stands next to him, a scowl on her face. Amy smiles tightly and looks between Jake and Rosa, figuring it out just as fast as he did. The smile drips from her face, mirroring Jake’s look mere moments ago.

“They have awesome pilsners.” Teddy says, lifting his drink.

“I meant real alcohol.” Rosa says. Amy looks towards the floor and Jake clears his throat.

“Rosa and I are together.” He says. Rosa nods and grabs some quiche from the buffet.

“Yep. Only six more months to go.” she says with her mouth full.

“Amy and I were assigned nine months.” Teddy adds, throwing his arm around her shoulder. “Weren’t we babe?”

“Yep.” Amy replies, shoulders tightening and pulling in.

“Wait, how do you two know each other?” Teddy asks motioning between them both.

Amy hesitates and Jake smiles tightly, looks down at the ground.

“Jake and I were-”

“We were matched before.” Jake says easily, figuring it’s easier to bite the bullet now. He doesn’t know why but he’s pissed off and irritated. He wants to turn the table upside down and watch the stupid baby hotdogs rain down on the ground. He wants to take Amy’s hand and run away.

He wants so many things and he can’t have them. That’s why he’s pissed off. That’s why there’s a bitterness in his chest.

“Ah.” Teddy says, dropping his arm from Amy’s shoulder. Amy’s eyes remain on Jake, big, unblinking and blank. Jake looks away and grinds his teeth.

“For twelve hours.” Amy adds, turning her eyes towards Rosa. Rosa’s face is unchanging and she stuffs another hotdog in her mouth. 

Teddy doesn’t answer and instead, sips his drink in total silence. The silence is heavy between them, awkward and almost thick. The only sound is the rest of the party and Rosa chewing. Jake’s mind is a million miles away as he stares into the distance. Amy watches him with unblinking eyes.

“Anyway,” Teddy says. “We should get going, Amy.” This breaks Jake out of his spell and he meets Amy’s eyes.

“Yep.” Amy nods, smiling tightly. She sighs before holding her hand out, “Great seeing you again, Jake.”

“You, too.” he says, holding her hand tightly like that first night. _Don’t go_ , he pleads. Her fingers squeeze once and then she drops it. Jake feels the ghost of her hand as Teddy wraps his arm around her shoulder, head tilted towards hers, whispering, as they make their way towards their car.

Rosa and Jake watch as they walk away. Before they get in the car, she turns over her shoulder at him and waves once.

Jake waves back.

* * *

“You like her.” Rosa says on the drive back. It’s not a question. Jake shrugs. There’s no use in lying or hiding it.

“Our expiry date is over; there’s no use on dwelling on it.”

Rosa’s quiet for a moment, her eyes becoming distant and thoughtful. “I liked someone like that but our expiry date ended, too.” Jake watches her for a second and then she shrugs, face closed off once again. It’s the most emotion he’s seen out of her in the six months they’ve been together. “Whatever. It’s like you said--there’s no use in dwelling on it.”

Jake nods and stares out the window at the passing landscape. Over the trees, the wall is seen: big, grey and brooding.

He turns towards Rosa, “Do you think I’ll ever see Amy again?”

“Who knows?” she says. “All I know is that I have six more months with you.”

Jake motions towards the wall. “Do you ever wonder what’s out there?”

Rosa juts her chin out. “No use in wondering. We’ll find out soon enough.”

Jake leans his head against the car window. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Later, when he’s curled up in his chair and she’s in bed, she says. “Her name was Gina. Last I heard she was matched with some dude named Matt or whatever.”

“Do you…” he trails off. Rosa’s quiet for a second and Jake thinks she’s fallen asleep.

“No, I don’t go see her.” she says after a moment. A pause. “I wish I did.”

Jake remembers Amy’s smile, her bright eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if Coach is doing the right thing.”

“Me, too.”

Coach beeps from the other side of the room and in its robotic voice says, “The algorithms-”

“Shut it, robot.” Rosa interrupts.

“-will correctly assign your Perfect Match.”

“I’m tired of your damn algorithms.” Jake adds.

“Yeah, shut your mouth or I’m shutting it for you.”

They share a smile in the dark room.

* * *

_One Month Later_

Amy watches the pale moon coming in through the window. Teddy snores beside her, his arm slung around her waist. She thinks back to the Pairing Ceremony a month prior and to Jake’s smile, his warmth. Teddy mumbles in his sleep and Amy scoots farther from him until he’s no longer touching her.

She wasn’t sure how she didn’t notice his dullness, his almost-mind numbing conversations. God, she’s had more fun with Jake in twelve hours than she’s had with him in months. Amy clicks on Coach and groans at the months left of their time.

Two months to go.

* * *

Rosa chucks the bottle in the trash, stumbling in the way only drunks do. Jake watches from the sofa and laughs as she stumbles back. She throws herself on the sofa, covering her face with her hands.

“I miss Gina.”

Jake lolls his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“I miss Amy.”

Rosa turns over to him. “Should we just do it?”

Jake sits up, shaking his head wildly. “No. Definitely not.”

She snorts. “Yeah, it’d be like doing it with my brother.”

Jake laughs, his mind foggy with liquor. “Or my scary neighbor.”

Rosa grins at him for a moment but then her eyebrows furrow. “What was your favorite thing about Amy?”

“Her smile.” He says easily. “And her eyes.” He closes his eyes for a second, remembering those short hours. “We only had twelve hours.”

“And we only had five.” Rosa answers back.

“Fuck algorithms and this goddamn system.” he mutters.

“Yeah, fuck them!”

Jake smiles broadly at her, hand settling on her shoulder. “You’re my best friend, you know that?”

She groans and scoots away from him. “Whiskey makes you emotional, huh?”

Jake cracks up, his eyes drooping with tiredness. Rosa stands to get another bottle. She cracks it open with her teeth and takes a big swig before nodding towards him, “Yeah, you’re mine, too. I guess.”

“Now, look who’s emotional.”

* * *

Amy walks out with Teddy, anxiously looking down at Coach. Teddy clears throat.

“So, this was fun.”

“Yep.” Amy looks down at her hands. _Twenty seconds left._

“I hope you find your perfect match soon.”

“Me, too.” she says. _Ten_. Teddy hugs her before she has a chance to protest and when he tries to kiss her, she dances away. “Bye.”

She doesn’t look back.

* * *

Time passes fast for Amy. She’s set up with a long string of matches. Some of them shorter than her time with Jake and most of them not longer than a few days.

Amy watches in the dark as the clock slowly trickles down, her face illuminated by the shiny surface of Coach. Beside her, Liam or maybe his name is David, snores soundly.

She can't remember and honestly, she doesn't want to know his name. It humanizes them and Amy’s way past that. The clocks slowly ticks down.

Early tomorrow it will be over and Amy will be set up with another Robert or another William.

For now, all she can do is stare as the numbers slowly change.

* * *

“Well, time’s up.” Rosa says.

“Ah, sex. I hardly knew thee.” he says dramatically, referencing their yearlong sex drought.

“Jake, we shared a room and the walls are paper thin.” she rolls her eyes. Jake flushes. “Anyways, you were pretty cool and you slept in a chair for twelve months so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable.”

“Thanks, you were cool, too.”

“I hope the algorithm brings you someone like Amy. “

He sighs. “There’s no one like her.”

“There’s no one like Gina.” she adds. “See ya’.”

Then, she shakes his hand and gets on the car. Jake gets into his own car and stares out the window all the way to his assigned solo quarters.

* * *

Jake taps his fingers on the table. It’s been two weeks since Rosa’s left and now Coach’s assigned him a new Match. He wonders who’s he’s gotten now.

He wonders what Amy is doing.

He looks up at the sound of heels and his heart comes to life because there, as clear as day, is Amy. He stands quickly and her smile illuminates her whole face as she stops several feet from him.

“Amy.”

“Jake.” She’s bouncing a little on her heels, nervousness a heavy anchor in her stomach. His heart beats with hope as he stares at her.

“I didn’t know we could…”

“Me neither.” she says.

“Maybe we’re at the wrong place? Or…” he trails off because he cannot believe it. She’s here. She’s actually here.

“Let’s ask.” she says. “Coach, are we in the right place?”

“Yes.” It answers and they share a grin.

They sit close together in the booth and Jake manages to take his eyes from her for a second to pinch his leg to make sure he’s awake. Where heaviness once lived, there’s fizzy happiness, overwhelmingly so. However, he quickly remembers the expiry date and the dark clouds return.

“Should we check-”

“No.” she interrupts. At his look, she grimaces. “I’m tired of expiry dates. I’ve been assigned to so many guys that I’ve lost count.” she shakes her head and Jake’s heart lurches with jealousy. “I don’t want to know. I just want to enjoy this time together.”

Jake quickly sets Coach down, nodding. “You’re right. Let’s enjoy it.”

Amy beams and reaches her hand over to him. “Let’s shake on it.”

Jake grabs her hand, squeezes it, and says, “Deal.”

* * *

On the ride home, all he can do is stare at her, not believing she’s real and sitting next to him. She looks over her shoulder at him as she unlocks the door and Jake grins as he looks down at the ground. 

When the door closes behind them, she kisses him. She’s surprised him and he stumbles for a second. Her lips are incredibly soft against his own and she tastes like pasta, like marinara sauce, and like this is the only thing he’s supposed to be doing for the rest of his days. They stumble their way around the quarters and Jake’s knees hit the bed before he lays down, pulling her down with him by her hips.

She pulls away to take off her heels and Jake watches her, his thumb caressing her hip bone over her dress.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely. Who knows how much time we have?” Her lipstick, now smeared lightly around her face, looks cherry red under the lights.

Jake’s heart feels heavy. “Yeah, who knows how much time we have left.” Her own eyes darken with quasi-sadness and Jake closes his eyes and kisses her again just so he won’t have to see them.

* * *

He keeps running his hand down her waist, not believing that she’s really here. Her feet touch his shin under the sheets and she bites back a smile at his flinch. He squeezes her waist and she grins, pressing her face to his neck.

After a moment, she falls asleep, her gentle breath against his neck.

Jake stares at her sleeping face, running his finger down her eyelashes, to her nose and finally down to her lips.

 _Forget the expiry date, Jake. Just forget it._ But he can’t, at least not fully. By pretending that he doesn’t think about, he would be lying to himself.

Why would they pair him up with a girl that he’s been obsessed with and someone he’s already been matched with? Maybe the goal of all of this was to break them down little by little so when they found their match and all of this was over, they’d be thankful and grateful. He sighs and pulls her tighter around him.

If that was the plan, then it sure as hell wasn’t working because there’s no way he’d feel anything but broken after losing her again.

* * *

“...and then what?” she asks with a smile. It was almost the middle of the night and they were sitting in the sofa, so close that Amy was almost sitting on his lap. The fireplace raged on beside them and it made the brown in her eyes look like melting chocolate.

“And nothing, it was only Rosa.”

“Oh, poor you.” Amy laughs, touching his nose with her index finger. Jake grabs her hand before she can take it away and kisses her palm. Amy’s face softens as Jake threads their fingers together.

“She wasn’t all bad. We just weren’t made for one another.” he says. Amy stares at him with tender eyes and leans in, kisses him. He nuzzles closer to her and she closes her eyes as he kisses her delicately.

* * *

“Do you ever think about it?” he asks quietly in the middle of the night, Amy curled around him like a sheet. The weather outside changed from a hot July to a breezy summer and it entered through every crevice of their quarters.

Amy looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

“Think about what?”

“The outside.”

Amy sits up, leaving Jake cold without her warmth and he shivers. “I don’t understand.”

Jake sits up, too. “You know, like what’s beyond it.”

Amy scoffs and shakes her head. “Why are we talking about this?”

Jake licks his lips, unsure of how to tell her. “We don’t know how much time we’ve got-”

“-and you want to climb over the wall?” she whispers, scandalized.

“No, of course not.” he glances at their Coaches but they’re quiet. Jake didn’t know how much they heard and how much they didn’t but he knew they couldn’t hear this. Who knew what would happen if they did. “I just meant...I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.” she says and kisses him. She pulls away and gazes into his eyes tenderly and then smiles teasingly. “But you sound crazy. We can’t leave. The next thing you’re probably going to say is that we are part of a simulation.”

Jake rolls his eyes and tickles her. She yelps and tries to roll away but he pins her down, holding her arms over her head. Gazing down at her, the rush of feelings comes faster than ever. So, he kisses her to forget that Time is coming soon.

* * *

He watches as she sleeps most nights, not wanting to forget it, to forget this. Not wanting to let any part of it go. Not the way she wakes up every morning or the way she eats her eggs, immaculate and thoughtful. Or bundled up in the January cold by the fireplace. Her cold feet on his shins as he sleeps. Her eyes, her mind, her laughter.

It all.

* * *

Jake glances at Amy, her back to him as she sleeps and in the paleness of the moon, her hair looks almost blue. He glances back at Coach in his hands and whispers, "What if I don't want that perfect match?"

Coach is silent and if handheld robots could look confused, he would. Finally, he speaks. “Not possible. The algorithms detect your perfect match. There is a 99.8-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Stupid robot." he mutters. Jake runs his hands over Coach’s surface, deliberating it. “Coach?”

“Yes, Jake?”

Jake pauses, his jaw clenching, and he whispers, “What if I wanted to know our expiry date without Amy knowing?”

“You could.”

A long pause. “She won’t know?”

“Not if you don’t tell her.”

Jake glances over at her and in her sleeping state, she mumbles under her breath. His heart aches, almost breaks, thinking of life without her.

“Okay. Screw it. Show it to me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Wait, No.” He groans and covers his eyes as he says, “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay.”

“Wait-” he sighs, rubs his face with his hand. “Screw it. Do it.” He takes a deep breath before looking down at Coach.

The number flashes. 5 years. Jake lets out a relieved sigh. Okay, he can deal with that. 5 years is a long time. Then, something strange happens.

“Recalibrating.” Coach says as the numbers decline.

It starts to four years and some months, then three, two. The time starts ticking down faster and faster.

“Coach? What’s going on?” Jake asks, smacking his hand against the screen. “Why is this happening?”

“Recalibration commences when expiry date is viewed by one side of the party.”

“Why didn’t you warn me of this?” he whispers angrily. The numbers don’t stop going down. “Make it stop!”

“I cannot.”

Jake looks over his shoulder at a still-sleeping Amy and runs out of the room, hitting Coach as hard as he can with the palm of his hand.

“Stop it!” he pleads. “Why is this happening?”

Jake watches with a sinking stomach as the time declines and he falls onto the sofa in desperation. The number goes down and down until it settles into 20 hours.

All Jake can do is watch as it shortens.

“Why?” he asks weakly when it stops moving.

“Everything happens for a reason.”

* * *

“Hey.” Amy says the next morning when she wakes up. Jake is standing by the kitchen window, looking at the trees. He’s been there for hours, watching as the sun rose over the wall.

“Hi.” He replies and leans down to kiss her. He watches as she walks away and covers his face with both hands. Only twelve hours to go.

They eat breakfast together and walk together around the grassy knolls in the park. The springtime sun is shining brightly above but Jake feels like it’s the cold dry winter in his heart.

If Amy notices he’s more withdrawn than usual early in the morning, she doesn’t mention it ‘till they’re walking in the shopping center.

She sighs, presses one hand against his chest to keep him from walking away.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Me? Nothing.”

“Jake.” she juts one hip out and sets her hand on it. “There’s something wrong.”

“No, there isn’t. I think I might be getting sick.” he licks his lips and sighs as Amy’s eyes narrow. He closes his eyes and confesses quietly, “Amy, I did it.”

Her hand drops from her hip and her face goes into shock. Jake reaches out to grab her but she steps back before he can.

“What did you do?” her voice is so soft that the wind could carry it away.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“-Except you did!” she nearly hollers. She blinks quickly, trying to keep the tears at bay. She looks at the floor and when her eyes meet his, they’re swimming in tears. “You did.” her ragged voice gains strength as she speaks. “I told you not to, Jake. I told you that-that I didn’t want to know.”

“Amy-”

“No, I don’t want to hear it.” A tear dribbles out of her eye and she brushes it away, streaking her mascara across her cheek.

“I couldn’t help myself. I really, really-”

“I told you I didn’t want to know!”

“Well I did!” he pauses, lowering his voice and gathering himself. “I wanted to know how much time I had with you Amy because 12 hours was never enough and I wanted to make sure that we got enough time now. But the truth of the matter is we’ll never have enough time." he licks his lips. “I love you, Amy.” Amy blinks in surprise, the tears falling freely now. Jake grabs her hands before she can push him away. “Run with me to the other side. Just you and me. Screw it all.”

“Jake-” she glances over his shoulder to the security guard, his hand drawing his weapon as he listens to them. It’s illegal to have this kind of talk and it scares her that Jake is being so open about it.

She shakes her head and closes her eyes. A solitary tear dribbles down her chin and hits her shirt. She tears her hands away from his and pushes him away. The security guard drops his hand but his eyes remain on them.

“I didn’t want to know. I told you and you promised.” She whimpers between her tears. She starts to walk away and Jake grabs her arm, willing her to stop, but she pulls away and almost runs out of the mall.

“Amy! I’m sorry!” he yells but she’s too gone to hear him.

* * *

“Why did you let me ask you?”

“I tried to stop you.”

“Yeah but you didn’t try hard enough now I’ve lost her again.” he closes his eyes tightly. “We should’ve ditched this place.”

“That is illegal.”

“I don’t care.” he says and tosses Coach towards the other side of the room. Then, in the darkening night, he waits out the last dregs of his relationship with Amy to end.

* * *

“I’m Sofia.” Jake looks up from the table with disinterest at his new match.

“Jake.” She’s pretty, gorgeous really, with silky dark hair and eyes that sparkle like the sun. But, she’s not Amy. He watches as she sits and motions the servers over for their food. He starts to eat, all but ignoring Sofia. She blinks in surprise and she breathes in deeply, keeping her irritation at bay.

“Shall we check our expiry date?” she asks after just watching for a second.

“What does it matter?” he asks and Sofia flinches slightly. He sighs and grabs his Coach. Sofia grabs hers. Coach beeps. “Three weeks.” Jake says with a shrug and continues eating his pasta. Sofia smiles tightly.

* * *

Amy stares at the wall as Frank or Leo sleeps beside her. She remembers the conversation at the shopping center like it was yesterday and she closes her eyes tightly, covering her face with her comforter.

* * *

“...and she liked to eat spaghetti and pierogis more than anything.” Jake sighs into his cereal.

Sofia slaps her book onto the table in anger. “Okay, dude. I get it! You’re in love with her and I’m wasting my damn time.”

Jake blinks in surprise. “I’m sorry-”

“You talk about her 24/7. While we’re eating breakfast, before bed and _god_ , even that one time we had that unsuccessful sex.”

“I wouldn’t call it unsuccessful…” he mutters and Sofia shoots him a disbelieving look. He sighs. “Look, I’m sorry but I can’t help it.”

She stares at him with sharp eyes like knives but they quickly dull. She lets out a breath of air out of her mouth in exasperation. “Fine. I get getting attached but, Jake, you have to understand that this is exactly why you _shouldn’t_ be getting attached” she says. “There’s only one way this could end: bad.” she shrugs and takes a sip of her coffee.

Jake looks down to his breakfast. “Okay, I’ll try to cool it on the Amy-talk.”

It’s not that Sofia is unappealing or even boring. She’s gorgeous and she’s funny but, her voice is too high and her hair is not the color of summer midnight. His heart doesn’t skip a beat every time she laughs. The truth of the matter is that she isn’t Amy and no one will ever replace her.

Sofia sighs. “Good.” She stands. “I’m going for a run.”

“Amy hated running.” he mutters after she’s out of the room.

* * *

Amy finishes packing her stuff and waves goodbye to Toby or Ulysses. As she goes back to her solo living quarters, she looks at the pretty clouds and wonders what Jake is doing. She stares at the wall looming over the trees and thinks back to their argument at the mall.

Coach beeps beside her a few days later when she’s sitting by the upstairs window. She’s watching the lake that sits close to her window in contemplation. The days are long without a Match and she quasi-yearns to be Matched again because at least it gives her something to do.

“Congratulations, Amy. Your Ultimate Match has been identified. Your Pairing Day will be in tomorrow.”

“What?” she asks, grabbing Coach quickly. Her hands sweat and she swallows thickly. “So quickly? I won’t even get to meet him before?”

“No need. He is 99.8 percent your perfect match. Tomorrow you will meet and the two of you will leave this place forever.”

Amy stands from her chair and stares out the open window. Her eyes meet the wall and she asks, “Do I know him?”

“Negative.” Amy deflates like a balloon. “There’s something else.”

“Yeah?” Amy asks without any interest.

“Before your pairing day, there is a farewell period for an Ex-Match of your choosing as this can give psychological closure-.”

“Wait...I get to say goodbye to someone?”

“Yes.”

“And I can choose?”

“Yes.”

“I choose Jake.” She says automatically.

“Choice confirmed.”

The breeze blows in from the window, bringing the smell of blooming roses up to her nose. The lake lightly ripples in the summer breeze. Amy gets an idea.

“Coach?”

“Yes, Amy?”

“Where are we meeting?”

“Usual booth. 7 pm.”

Amy nods. “Coach?”

“Yes, Amy?”

“How high are we?”

“About twenty feet.”

“Coach, count to three.”

“One-” With that Amy throws Coach as hard as she can, she hears it fall into the lake where it slowly sinks. Amy closes the window and goes to her room.

* * *

She runs towards the booth, spotting him as soon as goes in. He runs up to her and they meet halfway, kissing tightly. She’s missed the feel of being in his arms and his warmth like a summer sun.

“I’m sorry.” he whispers between her kisses. “I shouldn’t have looked. I shouldn’t-”

“Jake, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t. It’s the past.”

He shakes his head and whispers it again. “I’m so damn sorry, Amy. I should’ve respected your wishes but I’m so-”

“Jake, I have my Pairing Day tomorrow.”

“Me, too.” he says, grabbing her palm and kissing it. “I don’t want to go. Screw them. Screw it all. You’re all I thought about these last few months.”

“You’re all I thought about, too.” she says. “I want you. Screw it all.”

“Failure to-” Jake’s Coach begins from the booth table.

“Shut up.” Amy snaps and Jake’s eyes twinkle. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?” he asks, caressing her face.

“That you love me.”

“Yes. I meant it so much.”

“I think I love you, too.” she says quietly. “Did you mean the other thing?”

His eyebrows furrow but he remembers it. He remembers the wall, begging her to go. It sounded crazy then, but now, it’s the sanest thing she’s heard.

“Yes. I did.”

Amy licks her lips, looking around the bar and noticing the security around them. The shiny surfaces of their tasers gleam under the bar lights and Amy licks her lips nervously, fearing she’s going to sound totally insane.

“Jake, do you remember coming here? I mean, do you remember a Before?”

Jake’s eyebrows furrow in absolute confusion. “What?”

“Yes, a life before this shit-show.”

“I…” he trails off and shakes his head, face un-wrinkling. “No, I don’t.”

“Jake, I think it’s a test. They’re testing us. I think that the Outside doesn’t even exist.” She continues quickly, voice quiet. “Think about it Jake: how will we know it’s real without us leaving? None of us knows what’s out there.”

Jake stares at her, eyes wide. “Then what is this?” He points over to the East side of town. “And what’s the wall doing?”

“I don’t know.” she says. “Do you remember that first night? How everything felt so…” she searches for a word.

“Comfortable.” Jake finishes.

“Yes, like we’d been through this time and time again. Like this isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.”

“I-” he trails off in confusion but his face slowly alights with understanding. “If it’s a test, then how do we pass it?”

“We climb.” She says simply, like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

He nods, eyes brightening dangerously and he squeezes her hand. “Let’s go.” They start making their way towards the door, but the security stands before it. He walks over to them, hand drawing his weapon. Amy squares her shoulders.

If this is a test, the only way she’s going to pass is by not being a coward.

She slowly walks up to the security guard and with her right hand, she covers it. The blue light from the taser does nothing, it turns off at her touch. Under her hands, it feels cheap, like a children’s toy. She slowly turns the gun down, towards the floor and everything freezes.

Patrons who were mid-chew and the solitary bartender behind the bar, they all freeze mid-step, mid-breath.

“Wow,” Jake mumbles. “They’re frozen.”

Amy glances around the room and nods towards Jake. “Let’s go.”

They nearly run out of the bar, dodging frozen bodies. Her heart thuds in her chest in pure excitement. Jake’s hand doesn’t let go of hers as they run. She’s out of breath by the time they reach the wall.

 

She looks up at it in wonder. She’s never been this close to it and it looks bigger than she’s imagined. For a second she wonders if this is the right choice, if what they’re doing is right. One glance to her right and into Jake’s eyes, is all she needs for the fear to melt away.

She starts climbing first, her feet and hands grab onto the hundred feet tall ladder wrapping around the wall. Jake climbs after her. She urges herself not to look down, scared of the height as their climbing progresses.

But, then, something strange happens. As she reaches her hand to grab onto the higher run, they start to disintegrate like salt in water.

Her hands are no longer hands but floating atoms. It’s a strange feeling; it’s not being unbuilt but rebuilt into different bodies and she feels at peace as she’s unformed. She watches as little by little her atoms are pulled apart.

Under her, the stairs and the ground start to be unbuilt too. Jake stares at his arms as his atoms start to float away.

The next thing she knows, they’re in a dark room. She’s herself again, not atoms floating in mid space but Amy, just Amy. A spotlight lights above her and to her right, Jake appears.

He looks around the empty room in wonderment and in confusion.

“What’s going?” he asks.

“Did we get captured?” She looks around the room, jumping in surprise at Jake’s hand in hers but she tightens her fingers around his.

Around the room, spotlights begin to light up slowly and above their own heads the number “998” reads. Amy watches with wide eyes as hundreds of her and Jake’s begin to appear, their own number lighted up above their heads. These Jake and Amys look around the room in confusion and gaze in wonderment at the number above their heads.

The numbers from 165 to 784 but none of them go higher than 998. Their number.

She turns to Jake in astonishment.

And then, just like before, all other Jake and Amy’s start to disintegrate. Bodies are no longer whole and their cells clump together into blue balls of light and then they float upwards. Upwards, above their heads, they join a big cloud reading “243 Simulations Completed” and then, as more balls join, the number rises.

Before she knows what’s going on, her and Jake disintegrate, their cells pulled apart and turned into blue balls of light that join the cloud.

And then the number doesn’t read 243 anymore but 1,000.

_1,000 simulations completed. 998 rebellions logged. 99.8% match._

* * *

In a bar in Brooklyn, Jake Peralta looks down at his phone. He wasn’t a huge fan of online dating but Charles had insisted. He had urged him to sign up saying that it’d been too long since Sofia and that Charles wanted nieces and nephew. That not only was Jake not getting any younger, but Charles wasn’t either.

Jake swipes through the pictures of the pretty girls, not really understanding the app at all. It bragged that it found your perfect match and that it was 99.8 percent correct. Jake snorts. 99.8% sounded fake but honestly, a little hopeful. None of the girls that he swiped through showed anything higher than 34%.

He locks his phone and takes a swig of his drink. He can do his own dating. He didn’t need an app.

His phone beeps with the dating app’s notification and Jake rolls his eyes as he unlocks it. “99.8% match found ten feet away.”

Jake clicks on the notification and he almost drops his phone. She was pretty with a sparkling smile and a high ponytail. He’d seen her before at the police convention in Boston and it was not hard to remember her. Not because she knew all the questions at the symposium but because he made eye contact with her once and that was all he thought about for two weeks.

 _Amy_ , it reads _, Amy Santiago_. 

Across the bar, Amy’s own phone beeps. She nearly groans. This app was Kylie’s (and her mother’s) idea of helping her get out there. Amy didn’t need any help getting out there. She was fine all on her own but she did miss waking up next to someone. Also, her feet got extremely cold during the winter and she hated wearing socks.

 _99.8% Match_ , it reads and Amy stares at his picture. She doesn’t want to make it obvious that she’s looking for him but...if he catches her eye and he doesn’t look like a serial killer, then she might go over.

She finds him sitting at the bar top on the other side of the room. He’s staring right at her and he doesn’t look like a serial killer at all. He glances down at his phone and up at her. Amy smiles, feeling shy. He smiles back.

He waves. She waves back and, then, she makes her way over to him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This took me so damn long to write and it's probably the longest thing I've ever written. If you've never watched the episode, basically, they're part of a simulation inside a dating app. I looove that show and recommend you watch it.  
> I'm gonna take a long bath and watch "Definitely, Maybe". Enjoy and let me know what you thought in the comments. [My Tumblr](http://www.idlewheelposts.tumblr.com)


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